The Election Commission of Pakistan has reportedly refused to recognise Hafiz Saeed's newly launched party - the Milli Muslim League. It is a political front of the Jamaat-ud-Dawah and MML is an attempted image makeover by JuD. Pakistan media reported that the Election Commission has also

The Election Commission of Pakistan has reportedly refused to recognise Hafiz Saeed's newly launched party - the Milli Muslim League. It is a political front of the Jamaat-ud-Dawah and MML is an attempted image makeover by JuD.

Pakistan media reported that the Election Commission has also warned candidates not to use the party's name in election campaigns or use images of Hafiz Saeed and other leaders of JuD in their poll campaigns.

MML is not officially fielding a candidate for the by-polls for the Lahore National Assembly seat, which was vacated by Nawaz Sharif. However it is supporting "independent" candidate Sheikh Muhammad Yakoob against Sharif's wife Kulsoom Nawaz.

In the last week of August - the founder of Harkat ul Mujahideen, Maulana Fazlur Rehman Khalil stated his intent to launch a political party - the Islah-e-Watan Party. Fazlur Rehman is a "specially designated global terrorist" as declared by the US in September 2014.

Harkat hijacked IAs flight IC814 and secured the release of Masood Azhar. It enjoys good ties with JeM and Maulana Azhar. Khalil had close relations with Osama bin Laden too. Terror organisations not going mainstream in the neighbourhood. There is a more sinister explanation.

Security experts suspect the hand of ISI behind these developments. The move will help Kashmir focused terrorist organisations to gain legitimacy via the electoral process. This should ease off intense Western pressure on Pakistan. And electoral legitimacy for terrorists would ensure a permanent place for the Kashmir issue in Pakistan's future political discourse.

Although the Pakistan Election Commission did a commendable job of denying recognition to Milli Muslim League it remains to be seen how long the civilian setup can hold out against the military and ISI.

Theoretically you can very well see the heads of proscribed terror organisations heading regional or the central governments in Pakistan in the future. That is a very real threat. How the electorate of Pakistan would respond to such developments remains to be seen.

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